How do you solve your own murder? Regular blog readers will know how much I love a high concept crime thriller, especially when it works as brilliantly as ‘Not Quite Dead’ does. What’s it about? When Jet Mason is brutally attacked on Halloween, she’s left with a brain injury that will kill her within seven […]
Billed as a ‘middle-aged gap year’ I was intrigued by this account of cycling across Europe and Africa. When travelling to and from France on family holidays, my husband and I have often found ourselves curious about the cyclists queueing to dismount the ferry. Where are they going? How can they travel so lightly? How […]
‘Sending more people to prison for longer does not reduce crime’. This conviction, and his further belief that, ‘Rehabilitation is possible’, is at the absolute heart of Umberto Schramm’s argument in this short book, which is partly a prison diary and partly an argument for significant change, not just in the judicial system, but in […]
“Kya laid her hand upon the breathing, wet earth, and the marsh became her mother.” When Kya is just six, her family abandon her, one by one. The hardest loss is her mother, but it is the disappearance of her alcoholic and abusive father that leaves her reliant on the natural world of the swamp […]
‘OMG even as an emoji he looked fit.’ Welcome to Lindsey Hoodwink’s teenage life. Reliant on her phone to a disturbing degree, this typical teen is about to experience a nightmare that might just help her escape the gravitational pull of her phone… What’s it about? When Lindsey’s parents refuse to allow her to attend […]
‘It took Patrick Hawthorne a long time to get rid of the metallic taste after the motorway pile-up that killed his wife and twenty-seven other people.’ As opening sentences go, this one certainly packs a punch.* Welcome to Gothard’s fourth book, ‘The Quietist’, a thoughtful study of grief, loss and the complexity of human feelings. […]
‘Historians estimate that at least eighty per cent of Italian Jews survived the war.’ Kat Devereaux’s author’s note explains that this fact was due, in large part, to the persistence and determination of the individuals and groups who committed to rescue Jews trapped in Italy when the Nazis occupied and patrolled it. This hidden history […]
We all knew that the Harrogate Killer must still be alive. After all, their death was only confirmed by forensic testing, (AKA ‘expensive but cheatable laboratory tests completed by someone who could potentially – and in the horror fiction world, easily – be bribed or misled’,) not by anyone actually eyeballing their blood soaked corpse. […]
Be careful what you wish for… Sea, sand and a film set. Actress Ellie Miller can’t wait to fly to Dubai to record her first movie scenes, especially as she’ll be working with actual stars, but when there’s a death among the crew, Ellie’s dream starts to transform into a nightmare… What’s it about? Ellie […]
Eurovision fans, here’s a treat for you. In ‘No Dream Impossible’, Nigel May treats readers to a comedy murder mystery, set during the “Eurowide” song contest. What’s it about? Willkommen, bienvenue and welcome! It’s time for the newly launched musical celebration that is the Eurowide Song Contest, debuting in the unglamorous city of Ermpit in […]